NLRP3 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: In a model of type 2 diabetes induced by STZ along with a high-fat diet, the expression of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, and IL-1β is upregulated in the myocardium, while knockdown of the NLRP3 gene distinctly reduces both the cardiac fibrosis area and synthesis of collagen I and collagen III in the cardiac interstitium [26].